On Friday 27 February, Big Think partner PwC hosted its second global webcast focused on the question, ‘What would you do if you were not afraid?’ The webcast was part of ‘Aspire to Lead: The PwC Women’s...

Designers of the new federal system for sending emergency alerts to our cell phones devoted at lot attention to setting up the technical aspects, but not enough to figuring out what the messages should say....

Augmented Reality Glasses Already for Sale

With its Project Glass commercial, Google raised the public profile of augmented reality glasses higher than ever before. The Internet company is not the only game in town, however. Several other businesses have produced layered visual displays and integrated them into a pair of specs. The company Recon has already brought augmented reality to skiers and snowboarders, who can receive real-time information about their elevation and speed in a small screen that sits at the bottom-right of the user’s field of vision. And the goggle's GPS information can be used in concert with interactive maps.

What's the Big Idea?

With a look similar to Google's Project Glass, the industrial-purpose Brother AiRScouter is looking to open manufacturing and medical sectors to the technology. Brother says the LCD display is the equivalent of viewing a 16-inch monitor that rests one meter away. "As a factory worker is operating machinery, the AiRScouter can overlay workflow instructions in real-time." On the entertainment end, Sony has partnered with Epson to create Moverio, the most immersive 3D movie and gaming experience on the market. But it seems Google is headed in the best direction in creating a multipurpose product that works like a hands-free smartphone.